Strange Highways

I have heard allot of negative feedback about Strange Highways and over the years. At concerts I have often discussed the album with other Dio fans and I feel the answer is simple.

Allot of the Dio fans that have critisised this Album are traditionalists, very loyal fans that have followed Dio since his days in either Black Sabbath or Rainbow and expect Dio to continually release the same type of album over and over again.

But I am more of a Dio fan than a Sabbath or Rainbow fan and if you love songs with heavy riffs like Fever Dreams, Evil Eyes and Hey Angel this is the Album for you.

Strange Highways is my favourite Dio album because he has broken with the conventional {much to some fans disatisfaction} but there is no escaping the intensity this album has to offer, from the very second Jesus Mary and the Holy Ghost starts it simply sets the tempo for the whole album.

I am proud of this album because I have listened to Dio and loved his music since Evil Eyes pounded my ear drums and I have followed Dio ever since and coming off the back of Dehumanizer with Black Sabbath {Great Album} it is fantastic to have some intensity in his music which exemplifies his fantastic vocal range.

Strange Highways might have been a one off and the odd song will appear out of the blue that mirrors the tempo of Strange Highways since its release but have you ever wondered why it is called Strange Highways in the first place ?

To me this album is ahead of its time for most Dio fans who won't accept anything out of the "norm" but it rocks, it is very heavy and intense - it is a must for all Dio fans.

Having only heard Dio's first 5 albums the latter 5 were somewhat of an undiscovered country for me. Holy Diver to Lock up the Wolves were all extremely consistent (albeit with varies in tone) and was a well of excellent hard rock music. Now delving into the later years I find that the quality of the music differs considerably between Lock and Strange Highways.

Unsurprisingly it sounds similar to Dio's brief reunion album with Black Sabbath, Dehumanizer. It is very heavy and very un-radio-friendly. But it is also not very good either. This is a shame because for 5 albums they have produced really great, albeit uncool and non-commercial, music. Most of the 11 tracks on Strange Highways are pretty thick and boring. Usually you can count on a rousing opener and an epic title track. Neither are as good as their forebears here, although the title track is not bad. Sadly the best track is not even much to write home about. 'One Foot in the Grave' has possibly the catchiest chorus and most interesting composition of anything from the album. But it is still only good at best.

It is not awful, it is just very average and not at all exciting for an album that sounds like it really should be.

A disappointment - now onto Angry Machines...

Having not bought a Dio album for 10 years I received Strange Highways as a gift and was quite disappointed. Compared to Holy Diver, Sacred Heart and other albums from that era, Strange Highways is darker, heavier and very light on melody. I guess bands do change over the years but I don't think this is what Dio do best. I understand that their latest album "Master of the Moon" is more of a return to their roots, which in my opinion, wouldn't be a bad idea.